Women & Wealth
March 5, 2024

Women & Wealth

Educate, Empower, Elevate

Many women cite money as their number one source of stress, impacting their mental and emotional health, compounded by factors like inflation, economic instability, and the persistent gender pay gap.

CNBC’s Women & Wealth will bring together top financial experts to help you build a better playbook, offering practical strategies to increase income, identify profitable investment opportunities, and save for the future to set yourself up for a stronger 2024 and beyond.

For CNBC Women & Wealth editorial coverage, stories and video, visit www.cnbc.com/women-and-wealth.

Speakers

Vivian Tu

Former Wall Street trader-turned-expert, personal finance educator, public speaker, entrepreneur, and newly minted author, Vivian Tu AKA Your Rich BFF is on a global mission to make the financial industry less “male, pale, and stale.” She is the founder and CEO of the financial equity phenomenon, “Your Rich BFF,” which she developed as a passion project to destigmatize and make the rules of personal finance accessible and digestible to non-experts and marginalized communities. Her dedication to promoting financial literacy has earned her cross-platform fame and notoriety, having garnered nearly 6 million followers and counting, as well as honors on both the Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30 – Social Media’ (2023) and inaugural ‘Top Creators’ (2022) lists. This December 26, 2023, Vivian’s financial prowess will culminate into the highly anticipated release of her debut book, “RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life” (Portfolio/Penguin Randomhouse). Billed as the definitive book on personal finance for a new generation, Vivian now offers her best, no-BS personal finance tips and tricks to readers of all ages and demographics, so that anyone can think like a rich person and create smart money habits to get rich and grow their wealth for years to come. Vivian’s relatable, easily digestible advice has inspired millions to be more open and transparent regarding conversations around money, as she transforms finance into “fun-ance” to help her followers become successful in wealth. Her expertise has transformed her into one of today’s most desirable public speakers for panels and keynote presentations at events including the SXSW Conference and Festivals, Snapchat’s Financial Seminar, Forbes’ Top Creator event, BuzzFeed’s Content Creators Showcase, and Her Campus Media’s Her Conference, to name just a few. In addition to her breakout digital content, Vivian continues to spread her wealth of knowledge on her top-charting podcast, “Networth and Chill” (Audioboom Studios), a first-of-its-kind podcast offering accessible advice and lessons in finance, featuring Vivian alongside notable experts, professionals, and famous faces to break down the economics of our lives. The podcast debuted in March 2023 and immediately climbed to the top of the Business podcast charts and is currently available to stream with new episodes dropping weekly. As Vivian continues to land major partnerships with global brands and organizations such as SoFi, Marshalls, Invesco, Sweetgreen, Keurig, Zola, Expedia, Adobe, Audible, LuluLemon, MetLife, and more, there’s no doubt that “Your Rich BFF” is becoming a common household name.

Maneesha Ghiya

Maneesha Ghiya is managing partner at FemHealth Ventures, the ‘go-to’ in women’s health venture capital. She has been investing in health care for 25 years as a venture capitalist and an investor at hedge funds. Her personal medical experience inspired her to launch FemHealth Ventures.
Previously, Ghiya held health care-focused investment roles at JPMorgan Partners, Kingdon Capital, and Highline Capital. She has invested more than $1 billion in public and private health care companies within therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health.
Ghiya serves on the Executive Board for the Management & Technology Program (“M&T”) at the University of Pennsylvania, a dual-degree program from which she graduated summa cum laude. She earned a B.S.E. from The Wharton School, a B.A.S. from Penn Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Ghiya has been featured in The Wall Street Journal as one of Nine Women Shaping Venture Capital’s Today and Tomorrow.

Bola Sokunbi

Bola is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI), finance expert, 4-time bestselling author of the book, Choosing To Prosper, and the 3-part Clever Girl Finance Book Series, speaker, and founder of Clever Girl Finance, one of the largest personal finance media/education platforms for women in the U.S. Bola is also the recipient of the 2021 Financial Education Instructor of the Year (FEIY) Award from the National Council of Financial Educators.

Jennifer Shahade

A two-time US Women's Chess Champion and a member of Team PokerStars, Jennifer Shahade is an award-winning writer and host known for making chess and poker more fun and inclusive. She is the author of CHESS QUEENS, PLAY LIKE A GIRL, PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION and the forthcoming THINKING SIDEWAYS. Find her @jenshahade on X and Insta.

Jean Chatzky

Jean Chatzky is the founder and CEO of HerMoney.com and the coaching programs FinanceFixx and InvestingFixx. She is the host of the podcast HerMoney With Jean Chatzky as well as Everyday Wealth. The Financial Ambassador for AARP, she was the Financial Editor for NBC Today for 25 years. Jean is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and a fierce advocate for financial literacy. Her latest books are Women with Money: The Judgment-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve and How To Money, a guidebook for Gen Z women. Follow her @JeanChatzky.

Marianela Collado

Marianela Collado, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CDS® serves as a Senior Wealth Advisor and is the CEO and co-owner of Tobias Financial Advisors. She serves clients in a team setting by collaborating with them and their professional advisors to ensure their overall financial planning and investment objectives are pursued in a tax-efficient manner.
Marianela has over 20 years of experience in the tax and financial planning arena. She has worked with many ultra-high net worth families and assisted with the implementation and reporting of complex income and wealth transfer strategies.

Marianela has been quoted in various financial and non-financial media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Barron’s, Fox Business News, CNBC, MentalFloss.com, MarketWatch and NerdWallet.com. She has also been featured in articles related to tax and financial planning in the El Nuevo Herald. She has been published in the Journal of Accountancy (Feb. 2018 issue) on the topic of retirement planning & tax planning. She is a frequent speaker, serving as a subject matter expert on financial planning topics relating to high net-worth individuals.

Marianela has earned recognition for her many accomplishments and contributions. Most recently, Marianela was named a 2021 Mother of the Year on behalf of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies. As a mother of three young boys under the age of 13, Marianela finds a way to juggle the priorities of a busy family with those of her growing firm and clientele. Also this year, Marianela was honored by South Florida Business and Wealth at their 1st Annual Excellence in Finance Awards. In 2020, Marianela was featured as a InvestmentNews Woman to Watch. In 2019, Marianela was named an honoree for the Hispanic Women of Distinction award. She was also featured in Weston Life magazine. In 2018, she was a nominee for the Florida Institute of CPA’s (FICPA’s) Women to Watch award. In 2017, Marianela received the American Institute of CPA’s Standing Ovation Award, as one of 16 CPAs nationwide under the age of 40 recognized for their contribution to personal financial planning.

Prior to joining Tobias Financial Advisors, Marianela was a Principal at Bessemer Trust, which she joined in 2004, initially as a member of the Client Tax Services department and subsequently working with Bessemer’s client advisory team in Miami providing wealth and tax consulting services. Prior to joining Bessemer, Marianela was a Senior Tax Associate with Wealth and Tax Advisory Services (formerly Arthur Andersen, now Andersen Tax) in New York, specializing in compliance and planning for high net-worth individuals.

Marianela currently serves as a member of the FICPA’s Women’s Leadership Committee and is a member of the FICPA’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. In addition, she is a founding member of the West Broward Chapter for the National Association of Divorce Professionals and serves as the chapter’s director. With a certification in collaborative divorce practice, she is also a member of the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida and in 2021 was nominated by the CFLPSF board to the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professional’s Leadership Institute. In addition, Marianela serves on Nova Southeastern University’s Planned Giving Council and serves as a Board Member for both the Planned Giving Council of Broward and Gilda’s Club South Florida.

Marianela received a B.S. in accounting from Hunter College in New York City in 2000. In addition to the associations already mentioned, she is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the West Broward Estate Planning Council and the Financial Planning Association.

Marianela is passionate about her clients at Tobias Financial Advisors, but outside the office she enjoys spending time with her husband and three boys, who keep her very busy with sports activities and playdates with friends in their Weston, Florida community.

Cindy Hounsell

Cindy Hounsell is the President and Founder of the Washington D.C. based Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) a nonprofit founded in 1996 to improve opportunities for women to secure retirement income and to educate the public about the inequities that disadvantage women in retirement. As an attorney and retirement expert, Ms. Hounsell has been widely quoted in various media and publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes/PBS Next Avenue, Barrons, U.S. News and World Report, ABC, CNN, CNBC MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance and NPR’s 1A, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Marketplace. Ms. Hounsell is also Director of the National Resource Center on Women and Retirement in partnership with the U.S. Administration on Community Living’s U.S. Administration on Aging. Through the Center’s work, Ms. Hounsell provides technical assistance to national aging organizations, trains leaders and grassroots advocates. Ms. Hounsell has testified before Congress and attended as a delegate for several White House summits and conferences. She has authored many chapters, columns, articles, op-eds, papers, guides and booklets focused on women’s retirement issues. Awards include a lifetime achievement award by the Plan Sponsor Council of America, an Influencer in Aging award by PBS-Next Avenue, Money magazine's 40 Money Heroes, the National Adult Protective Services Association Collaboration Award, and the MANA Award from MANA, A National Latina Organization. Most recently, the American Society on Aging honored Ms. Hounsell & WISER with the 2023 Advancing Economic Security for Older Adults Award.

Sharon Epperson

Sharon Epperson, named one of “12 to Watch in TV News,” can be seen regularly on CNBC television and other media platforms.

As CNBC’s senior personal finance correspondent, Epperson covers the many facets of how people manage, grow and protect their money. Her expertise includes saving and investing for retirement, paying for college, managing mortgage, student loan, credit card and other debt, and building a financial legacy through estate planning.

Preparing your finances for the unexpected is another critical (and personal) aspect of her reporting. In September 2016, Epperson sustained a ruptured brain aneurysm and she nearly lost her life. She has become a staunch advocate for health and wellness issues, raising awareness about brain aneurysms and funding for research. In September 2018, she and her family established “The Sharon Epperson Chair of Research” through the Brain Aneurysm Foundation to provide grants for research on early detection and innovative treatments.

Epperson is a lead contributor to “Invest in You: Ready. Set. Grow.,” a multi-platform financial wellness and education initiative at CNBC in partnership with the micro-investing app Acorns, and developed its companion 8-week learning course and weekly newsletter, “Invest in You: Money 101.” She also contributes to NBC’s TODAY and NBC Nightly News as well as Today.com and NBCNews.com.

Her book, The Big Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take to Make the Most of Their Money-and Live Richly Ever After, was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Awards, honoring works that have “changed the lives of millions.” She also was a contributing writer for The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster. Her personal finance expertise has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Weekend, Self, Essence, Ebony and TIME, where she had covered business, culture, social issues and health as a correspondent prior to joining CNBC.

Epperson has numerous industry and civic awards, including the Special Achievement Award from the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the Savvy Inspiration Award from the non-profit, financial empowerment group Savvy Ladies. She won an Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Award for Outstanding Online Host for her “Financial Advisor Playbook” video series on CNBC.com. She has received the Vanguard Award for her distinguished career in business and personal finance reporting from the National Urban League Guild, and the All-Star Award from the Association of Women in Communications. She also has won awards from the New York Festivals, the New York Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Epperson is committed to improving financial literacy, particularly in underserved communities. She was invited to the White House during President Obama’s administration to speak about financial literacy and to moderate a public meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability at the U.S. Treasury Department. She also speaks frequently at conferences and events for local and national organizations, colleges and universities about many facets of personal finance.

An adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Epperson has also taught courses at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. She enjoys teaching the importance of budgeting and building long-term savings as part of her professional development courses for graduate students.

Epperson received her bachelor’s in sociology and government from Harvard University, a master of international affairs degree from Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from Carlow University in Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native, she has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame at Taylor Allderdice High School, her alma mater.

She currently lives with her husband and two children in Westchester County, N.Y.

Contessa Brewer

Contessa Brewer is a correspondent and substitute anchor for CNBC appearing throughout Business Day as well as the network’s 7pm ET newscast “The News with Shepard Smith.” She covers major news stories for CNBC including presidential elections, hurricanes, the coronavirus pandemic and trade wars. Her specialty coverage areas are casinos, the gaming industry and the insurance industry. Brewer joined the network in 2017 and is based at CNBC Global Headquarters.

A National Emmy-Award winning journalist, Brewer is known for her marathon on-air coverage of breaking news and big political stories. While an anchor for MSNBC, she hosted daily news programs and the long-running, primetime series “Caught on Camera.” As a correspondent, Brewer has contributed reports to CBS News, CBSN, WNBC, NBC News and MSNBC, where she covered a wide range of stories including presidential elections, debt ceilings, government shutdowns, natural disasters, terror attacks and celebrity news. She began her career in Reno, NV followed by Palm Springs, CA and Milwaukee, WI.

Brewer is a Remembrance Scholar and magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication and Honors Program. She’s narrated several audiobooks and resides in New York with her husband, twin sons and a dappled dachshund.

Bertha Coombs

Bertha Coombs is a reporter for CNBC, covering financial markets, business news stories and health care throughout the business day. She is based at the Nasdaq Marketsite in Times Square.

Her health care coverage at CNBC has ranged from covering the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the failed launch of the Obamacare health insurance exchanges, to how cancer researchers are using IBM's Watson to improve cancer care, and how doctors are using mobile technology to treat patients in their own homes. She also covered the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the impact of the financial crisis of 2008, and reported on the oil markets from the floor of the New York Mercantile exchange.

Before joining CNBC, Coombs was a reporter and anchor for the pioneering online business network, Yahoo Finance Vision, and served as a freelance reporter for the former CNNfn financial network. Prior, she served as a reporter for ABC News One, and a substitute anchor for "World News Now" and "World News This Morning."

She began her career in general news, with previous reporting and anchoring positions at WABC-TV in New York, WPLG-TV in Miami and WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut.

Coombs is a graduate of Yale University and was awarded the Leo Beranek Reporter Training Fellowship at WCVB-TV in Boston. Born in Havana, Cuba, she speaks fluent Spanish.

Kate Rogers

Kate Rogers joined CNBC in September 2014 as a reporter based at the network's Global Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Rogers covers small business and entrepreneurship for the network appearing on CNBC's Business Day programming and providing daily stories and videos to CNBC.com. She will also contribute to the network's overall markets coverage.

Previously, Rogers was a personal finance and small business reporter for FOX Business and FOXBusiness.com. While there, she reported across FBN's and FOX News' daily programming. She also created and hosted a web series on entrepreneurship and startups called "Growing Your Business" for FOXBusiness.com.

Prior to FBN, Rogers was a reporter at the Nonprofit Times covering the business aspect of nonprofit management, and was an editor at the Union County Local Source.

Rogers holds a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in Women's Studies from the University of Delaware.

Emily Wilkins

Emily Wilkins is a CNBC correspondent for the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau, covering Congress, key regulatory issues and policies that impact American businesses and the economy.

Prior to CNBC, Wilkins, an award-winning journalist, served as a reporter for Bloomberg Government, where she covered breaking news coming out of Washington and Congress with a focus on House leadership. She previously reported on education and labor for both Bloomberg Government and CQ Roll Call.

Wilkins graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science. She currently serves as the Vice President of the National Press Club and she lives in D.C. with her fiancé.

Mona Mahajan

Mona Mahajan is a Principal Senior Investment Strategist on the Investment Strategy team at Edward Jones. She helps develop and communicate the firm's macro-economic and financial market views, as well as create impactful thought leadership in order to help clients meet their long-term financial goals. She also is a voting member of the asset allocation team, supporting the firm's strategic and opportunistic portfolio allocation decisions.

Mona's experience in the financial services industry spans equity and fixed income analysis, global investment strategy and portfolio management. Prior to joining Edward Jones, she was the U.S. Investment Strategist at Allianz Global Investors for nearly five years.

She appears regularly on financial media, including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, as well as print media like The Wall Street Journal and Barron's.

Mona holds bachelor's degrees in finance and computer science from the Wharton School and the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. She also has an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Mona lives in New Jersey with her husband and two kids, Rishi and Riya. She enjoys traveling and being involved in her kids' activities.

Marie Taylor

Marie Taylor is a financial advisor with Edward Jones who helps individuals, families and businesses work to achieve their financial objectives. Marie partners with clients to get to know their needs, develop specific strategies and assist client throughout their financial journeys. She brings more than 20 years' experience helping investors reach their financial goals.

Marie began her career in the banking industry and joined Edward Jones in 2000. She became a limited partner in 2010 and holds AAMS™ and CRPC™ designations.

Marie is the New York Chair of the Edward Jones Grassroots Task Force, the voice of the individual investor heard on Capitol Hill. She also serves as area diversity, equity and inclusion leader and holds a DEI Certification from Cornell University. Marie resides in Nassau County and is active in numerous community, non-profit and religious organizations.

Caroline Woods

NYC-based video presenter and producer with extensive experience in all areas of television and digital video development and production, including anchoring, reporting, writing, producing, interviewing, editing, social media, hiring and team development. Organized, detail-oriented and collaborative leader with comprehensive experience in business news, media training and startups.

AGENDA

1:00pm ET

Welcome

1:05pm

Financial Health of Women in 2024

Many Americans are currently experiencing financial challenges, but women have been particularly affected by factors like inflation, lack of access to childcare, equal pay, and student loan debt. We’ll discuss the reasons behind this and what the future holds and examine why women still feel less confident when it comes to money.  

Jean Chatzky, HerMoney Founder & CEO
Interviewer: Sharon Epperson, CNBC Senior Personal Finance Correspondent 

Watch the full interview

1:15pm

Overcome Hidden Obstacles to Achieve Prosperity

When it comes to managing their money, women commonly use the word “fear,” and describe feelings of overwhelm and intimidation. This best-selling author and founder of one of the largest financial education platforms for females, will discuss closing the confidence gap, how women can discover what stands between them and creating the life they want, and why prosperity can take on many different meanings.  

Bola Sokunbi, Clever Girl Finance Founder & CEO; Author
Interviewer: Kate Rogers, CNBC Restaurant & Small Business Correspondent

Watch the full interview

1:30pm

Investing in Women: The Future of Femtech

There is growing interest and investment in the women’s healthcare sector, which has traditionally been overlooked, underfunded, and highly stigmatized, despite women making up 50% of the population and 80% of consumer healthcare decisions. We’ll discuss key areas of growth and innovation, and the biggest opportunities for investment. 

Maneesha Ghiya, FemHealth Ventures Managing Partner
Interviewer: Bertha Coombs, CNBC Senior Health Care Reporter 

Watch the full interview

1:40pm

Strategy Sessions

How Education and Empowerment Can Help Women Investors Build Wealth 

Sponsored and programmed by Edward Jones

Women today control one-third of the total household financial assets (more than $10 trillion), yet many still cite money as a major source of stress. A financial strategy and the right advice can help women investors cut the stress and, instead, focus on what’s financially most important to them. Join us for a discussion about how women investors can increase their financial education, be empowered to create financial goals and build strategies to help them elevate their wealth and achieve long-term goals. 

Mona Mahajan, Edward Jones Principal, Senior Investment Strategist
Marie Taylor, Edward Jones Financial Advisor
Moderator: Caroline Woods, CNBC Events Contributor

Watch the full session

Retirement Planning: How to Maximize Your Financial Future

Women face a number of daunting challenges when it comes to retirement planning, including the persistent gender pay gap, longer life expectancy, greater healthcare costs, and the hidden costs of caregiving. The result? Fifty-percent of females ages 55-66 have no retirement savings, and many of those who do feel anxious it won’t be enough.
We’ll discuss incremental steps you can take now to maximize your money, and answer your questions on how to take control of your financial future.

Marianela Collado, Tobias Financial Advisors CEO  
Cindy Hounsell, Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) Founder & President
Moderator: Emily Wilkins, CNBC Correspondent

Watch the full session

2:10pm

Main Stage Resumes

Game On: How to Play to Win

Risk-taking, decision making, recognizing bias, and embracing fear are all key qualities found in those who hold positions of power, particularly in finance. They’re also at the center of poker and chess, games that are embraced by more men than women. A high-stakes pro will discuss why these skills are crucial for women to close the confidence gap, build wealth and advance in the workplace.  

Jennifer Shahade, Poker and Chess Pro; “Play Like a Champion” Author
Interviewer: Contessa Brewer, CNBC Correspondent

Watch the full interview

2:30pm

Level Up: Lessons from a Self-Made Millionaire

Burned out by her career on Wall Street, an industry she describes as historically “male, pale, and stale,  this former trader pivoted to become one of the most popular fin’fluencers on social media. She’ll discuss how she’s working to demystify personal finance for women and people of color, and the top ways in which you can level up when it comes to building wealth.   

Vivian Tu, Your Rich BFF Founder & CEO; The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life” Author
Interviewer: Sharon Epperson, CNBC Senior Personal Finance Correspondent 

Watch the full interview

2:50pm

Event concludes

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Event Highlights

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